Why was it that the people were afraid of Moses? Moses had been speaking with God on the mount. He had received from God’s finger the commandments and, as a result of that meeting, his face brilliantly reflected God’s glory. All good things, even though Moses was unaware his face shone. If all these are good things, why did they fear him so much that they prevailed on him to place a veil over his face?

The answer is quite simple. As Jesus said in John 3:20, “…everyone who does wicked things hates the light”. Darkness cannot overcome light. Wherever light penetrates the darkness is defeated, put to shame. Its weakness is exposed along with the shameful deeds done therein. The people were afraid of the light because they were darkness. God’s glory outmatched their wickedness to the point that whenever Moses returned from the mount, they required that he put the veil over his face.

This interesting passage is expounded upon by the apostle Paul in 2 Cor. 3 and 4. He also serves us up the antitype of the curious passage in Exodus. I find these chapters to be illuminating when I ponder the typical reception Jesus receives even today from those who are in the world.

In chapter 3, Paul admits that the Old Law had its own, certain glory although, as the ministry of death, it is outdone by the life-giving blaze of the new. Still, Paul says that the two have some things in common that teach us a bit about the difficulties worldly people have in seeing God’s glory as revealed in the face of His chosen mediator, Jesus Christ.

2 Cor. 3:27 lets us know that “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Freedom from what? The veil that covers the reading of the Old Law obscured the Jews’ understanding because the veil is lifted in Christ. To me, this is saying that the deeper meaning of the Mosaical Law is only properly understood as it relates to Christ, the Light and Life. People do not understand because they will not allow the veil to be lifted so that they might. Also, I do not think it a stretch to submit that that veil is in place for all people in the world who do not have Christ as their savior. This, Paul states in 4:3, is exactly the case. The gospel is veiled to those who are perishing.

The knowledge of the glory of God is today revealed in the face of Jesus, as it once was in the face of Moses, but in a vastly superior way. As Moses came down from the mount with the law and a countenance reflecting God’s glory, so did Jesus—He just happened to be coming down from a much loftier, heavenly peak with a perfected law and, since He is the express image of God’s person, His glory and God’s are one. The people of today who reject His gospel do not want His light and do not care to perceive. “Their minds [are] blinded”, as 2 Cor. 3:14 says.

But all is not lost. As 4:6 reminds us, God calls the light to shine out of the darkness. He calls all if us to repentance, through knowledge of Him via His Son, and will lift the veil from anyone’s heart who seeks Him vehemently.

An Appeal to Christian Unity

In John 17, the writer records some of Christ’s last words before his crucifixion.  He was praying to his Father.  Of all the things he might have mentioned, the unity of his people apparently was one of his chief concerns.  He said in verse 11, “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are.” 

What kind of oneness does Christ want among his people?  Ephesians 4 may help to explain.  Starting with verse one, the Apostle Paul explains the nature of Christian unity: “I, therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you to walk worthy of the calling with which you were called, 2 with all lowliness and gentleness, with longsuffering, bearing with one another in love,3 endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of your calling; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.” 

The unity that can exist in the Church is a kind of oneness that we just won’t find in the world.  The body is one because we share one spirit, we are perusing one hope in heaven, we serve one Lord Jesus, our unity is defined in terms of one faith, washed by one baptism, and we submit to one God.  This, Paul says, is the unity of the Spirit.  In the world, unity is encouraged on the basis of our common humanity.  Not so for the Church.  By the indwelling of the Spirit, Christ’s disciples can put away the inherent divisions of the human nature and walk in unity with God and with one another.  When Christ unites us, nothing can separate us, and nothing else matters.  In Christ, Paul says, “…there is neither Greek nor Jew, circumcised nor uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave nor free, but Christ is all and in all” (Colossians 3:11).

One Body, One Mind

Sounds easy, right?  Not really, or at least not always.  The current Christian landscape is ample evidence to show that such unity is not so easily achieved.  Pursuing unity can at times be a painful but important process.  The Lord knows the difficulty of this situation, and so his constant messages through the New Testament is to be one body, and in particular, one mind.  Romans 15:5-7, “Now may the God of patience and comfort grant you to be like-minded toward one another, according to Christ Jesus, 6 that you may with one mind and one mouth glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. 7 Therefore receive one another, just as Christ also received us, to the glory of God.”  Literally, to be like-minded is to set our affections on each other, to intently give our attention to each other.  The idea implies a certain degree of intensity, not a passive process.  To be of one mind, like he says in verse 6, means to think and act unanimously.

In the writings of the Apostle Peter he also emphasizes the important position of unity and unanimity in the Church.  He says, “Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another; love as brothers, be tenderhearted, be courteous; 9 not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing” (1 Peter 3:8-9).   In the Church there is no place for greed or grudges, reviling or revenge.  Achieving real unity in the Church requires a special kind of selflessness and self-sacrifice.  All of our love, energy, and ambition, is first directed not towards self, but towards others in the Christian family.  This is the mind of Christ and this is mind that must be alive in the members of the Church if it will be the body the Lord wants it to be. 

God Hates Division

God wants unity, he loves unity, and he hates division.  There are only few things that the Bible says the Lord hates, but division makes the list.  In Proverbs 6 Solomon names seven things that are an abomination, the last of which is “one who sows discord among brethren.”  Being divisive and causing division are some of the greatest crimes we can commit against God.

The group at Corinth is one biblical example of a congregation that was giving themselves over to this abomination.  The situation is described in 1 Corinthian 1.  Starting in verse 10: “Now I plead with you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. 11 For it has been declared to me concerning you, my brethren, by those of Chloe’s household, that there are contentions among you. 12 Now I say this, that each of you says, “I am of Paul,” or “I am of Apollos,” or “I am of Cephas,” or “I am of Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?”  In Christ there ought to be unity and simplicity, but this isn’t the nature of humanity.  As Christians we pledge our allegiance to one Lord, Christ. 

Biblical Reasons for Division

How important is it to keep division and contention out of the Church?  Titus 3:9-10 makes some strong statements about how we should deal with division in the body.  “But avoid foolish disputes, genealogies, contentions, and strivings about the law; for they are unprofitable and useless. 10 Reject a divisive man after the first and second admonition, 11 knowing that such a person is warped and sinning, being self-condemned.”  Paul makes it clear that some things simply cannot be tolerated in the Church – needless arguments, contentions, disputes about the Mosaic Law, genealogies.  All of these things are unproductive and dangerous.  The Church needs unity; these things yield only division.  Interestingly, though, what’s the resolution to a situation like this?  If a congregation does a have a divisive man or woman in their mist, God says reject them.

Divisiveness

God wants unity, but sometimes unity must be forsaken for the sake of self-preservation.  There are a few times in the Bible where God actually discourages unity in the Church.  The example in Titus 3 is one of those situations.  When someone has proven by their actions that they will bring nothing but trouble to a church, God says they shouldn’t be welcomed in the congregation any more.  Romans 16:17 says the same thing: “Now I urge you, brethren, note those who cause divisions and offenses, contrary to the doctrine which you learned, and avoid them.”  There are other biblical examples where God requires some kind of separation for the preservation of a pure Church.

Sin

First Corinthians 5 is one classic case of this sort of unfortunate circumstance in the Bible.  A man was found to be living in fornication, he showed no remorse, made no effort to change, and it was destructive to the moral of the whole congregation.  What was the fix to this problem?  First Corinthians 5:4-5: “In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when you are gathered together, along with my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, 5 deliver such a one to Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that his spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.”  What does he mean by that?  He explains further in verse 11: “But now I have written to you not to keep company with anyone named a brother, who is sexually immoral, or covetous, or an idolater, or a reviler, or a drunkard, or an extortioner–not even to eat with such a person.”    If the fornicating man wouldn’t live like a member of the body, Paul said he shouldn’t be accepted in the body.  Like one who is bent on causing division, sin is also a biblical reason for separation.

Truth

In 2 Timothy 2:15-18 the Apostle Paul introduces one more situation which will sometime require us to forgo unity for the sake of our souls.  He says, “Be diligent to present yourself approved to God, a worker who does not need to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth. 16 But shun profane and idle babblings, for they will increase to more ungodliness. 17 And their message will spread like cancer. Hymenaeus and Philetus are of this sort, 18 who have strayed concerning the truth, saying that the resurrection is already past; and they overthrow the faith of some.”  Divisiveness requires separation, sin requires separation, and here the Apostle says that standing firmly for truth will sometimes require separation.  If our unity is not built on and around truth, God says there shouldn’t be unity at all.  Once the truth is forsaken, unity, of necessity, must also be forsaken.  In other words, doctrine makes a difference.     

Truth should never be abandoned for the sake of unity, because truth is what gives us unity.  Ephesians 4, a passage already considered in this article, describes some of the most basic tenets of faith.  There is one body and one Spirit, even as we are called in one hope.  There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, and only one God.  The oneness of the Church is built on these truths.  As such, these truths will unite us, but sometimes, sadly, they will divide us.  These truths will make a church the Church, and the absence of these truths in a congregation will expose it as not the Church. 

Unity is good and profitable, but only in the appropriate environment.  It’s one thing to reach out to the world; it’s another to embrace the world.  The moral and doctrinal purity of the Church should never be sacrificed, not even for the sake of unity.  “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation, and every city or house divided against itself will not stand.”  The church will not stand divided; divided it will fall.  But if it will stand, it must stand on truth, resisting the poison of contention, separate from sin.

And so we have the prophetic word confirmed, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts; knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.

Recently a gentleman asked, with regard to prophecies of Christ, “Could it not have been that Christ was able to stage a fulfillment of these prophecies, having a great knowledge of the Old Testament prophets?” Certainly Christ knew the law and the prophets more than any other man. However, many prophecies were fulfilled though Christ had no control over fulfillment. Those who did possess control, if they had known what they were doing, would have done everything in their power to prevent fulfillment.

Consider what the Psalmist wrote in Psalm 41:7-10,

All who hate me whisper together against me; against me they devise my hurt. ‘An evil disease,’ they say, ‘clings to him, and now that he lies down, he will rise up no more.’ Even my own familiar friend in whom I trusted, who ate my bread, has lifted up his heel against me. But You, O Lord, be merciful to me, and raise me up, that I may repay them.

We find this very event take place leading up to the crucifixion. John records for us, in John 13:26, Jesus explaining to His disciples that it would be, “he to whom I shall give a piece of bread when I have dipped it”, who would betray Jesus. Jesus then handed the piece of bread to Judas. Later we find Judas bringing a large group (John 18:3) to help identify Jesus and abet his arrest. Consider who Judas was. He had been called, just like John, Peter, James, and the rest of the twelve. From the very beginning he had been with Jesus. Certainly he had witnessed the power of Jesus. He saw Jesus had power over nature and over human disease and death. Yet this familiar friend, whom Jesus had trusted with the money box (John 12:6), and who had witnessed the humility of Jesus as he washed his feet, willingly betrayed Jesus for money. It is no wonder that his name is synonymous with such words as “traitor,” and “betrayer.”

When Judas kissed Jesus, or even earlier, when Jesus gave Judas the piece of bread, there is no indication that Judas remembered the words of the psalmist. Judas was not interested in the fulfillment in scripture. All he cared about was money. Yet God was able, in His foreknowledge, to utilize the actions of Judas to fulfill His will.

Consider also Psalm 22:16:18,

For dogs have surrounded Me; the congregation of the wicked has enclosed Me. They pierced My hands and My feet; I count all My bones. They look and stare at Me. They divide My garments among them, and for My clothing they cast lots.

We read in the first verse of the same chapter, “My God, My God, why have you forsaken Me,” which is the same phrase Christ uses as He is hanging on the cross (Matthew 27:46), indicating to us that Psalm 22 is a prophecy related to Christ. Indeed, the very things recorded by the psalmist take place. Consider Matthew 27:35, “Then they crucified Him…” Just as the psalmist wrote that they would pierce His hands and His feet, so they did by crucifying Him. These soldiers and the people who had shouted “Crucify Him!” certainly had no intention of fulfilling prophetic words written nearly 1000 years before.

Continuing on in Matthew 27:35,

…and divided His garments, casting lots, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: ‘They divided My garments among them, and for my clothing they cast lots.’

Here is quite a small matter really. How they divided garments was not nearly so important as Christ being crucified. He had a garment, they shamed Him by removing it, and now they were going to mock Him by assuming possession of it. To these men, the division may have just been an afterthought. Yet, even this very small detail, how the garments would be divided, was foretold many years before, proving to us that God is truth. His words will come to pass in the appointed time.

There are many other examples where men despised God and desired to obstruct Christ’s fulfillment of God’s will, but eventually, by their own hard-hearted actions, fulfilled prophecies concerning Christ.

In these men’s actions we find two very important truths about God. God foreknows the hearts of man, and is able to use their freewill choices to further His righteous plan. Thus we find these men casting lots for the garments of Christ, and proving to us that God divinely spoke truth through the psalmist. Therefore, we also learn that the words of God are true, and that what He says will take place.  God, speaking through the psalmist, told us that a familiar friend would betray Jesus, and we find Judas fulfilling these words and proving their veracity.

Knowing this Peter writes in II Peter 3:9-12,

The Lord is not slack concerning His promise, as some count slackness, but is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with a fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up. Therefore, since all these things will be dissolved, what manner of persons ought you to be in holy conduct and godliness, looking for and hastening the coming of the day of God, because of which the heavens will be dissolved, being on fire, and the elements will melt with fervent heat?

God has proved true in the past. Are we willing to bargain against the veracity of this promise? We would do wisely to head the words of Peter and consider, “what manner of persons ought [we] to be in holy conduct and godliness.”

What say you?

Like most sins, lying can become a habit.  It can become the thing that we automatically turn to when we’re trying to get off the hook, or trying to impress, or even just trying to relate to others.  It can become something we do even to ourselves (Galatians 6:3; 1 John 1:8), explaining away facts so that they won’t inconvenience us, or convincing ourselves of a falsehood because we want it to be true.  Externally and/or internally, lying can become a deeply ingrained part of who we are, and thus a very hard habit to break.  But it can be broken.  It must be broken.

In undertaking the process of changing this bad habit (this sin), we can ask ourselves a few questions:

1.  Am I willing to follow the truth wherever it leads?

In large measure, this is central to the issue of change, because following truth, like following the Lord, can take one to uncomfortable places.  Knowing/acknowledging the truth about a situation, a person, or even oneself can lead to a great deal of personal pain (at least at first), not the least of which may be the loss of the “comfort” the lie gave. “[H]e who increases knowledge increases sorrow” (Ecclesiastes 1:18).  Acting on truth can lead us away from a hobby, a profession, or even friends and family.  Speaking the truth might keep them away from us.  The gains of following truth will more than compensate for such losses, but this is the cost that must be counted.

2.  Am I willing to value truth more than self?

This is really a sub-question to the one above, only slightly more focused.  Lying is nearly always motivated by self-seeking:  “But if you have bitter envy and self-seeking in your hearts, do not boast and lie against the truth” (James 3:14).  The desire to avoid shame, to acquire respect, to win companionship, to make a buck, these things drive the lies of the world.  And all are self-centered.  In this way, lying is at odds with loving:  “Love…does not seek its own” (1 Corinthians 13:4-5).  When lying, liars are not loving the truth nor those they are lying to.  They are loving only themselves.  Am I willing to value truth more than self?

3.  Am I willing to be honest with myself?

Though mentioned above, this bears repeating.  God expects honesty in all quarters of our lives, and it may be harder in this area than in any other.  But we must cultivate it.  The man who pleases God is he “who walks uprightly, and works righteousness, and speaks the truth in his heart” (Psalm 15:2).  If I will not speak the truth to myself, I cannot be sure that I will always speak truth to others, “For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks” (Matthew 12:34).  Ultimately, the heart is at the heart of the matter (as usual).  Am I willing to be honest even with myself?

Ironically, it takes some honesty to answer these questions.  Yet it is hoped that if one’s heart is set on pursuing truth, in heart and in speech, they may be of some service.

Those are my thoughts.  What are yours?

Satan’s power over us began with Adam’s sin. It ended by Jesus’ victory over sin and subsequent triumph over the grave. The world of Michael and his angels corresponded to Jesus’ will on Calvary, Satan and his angels corresponded to the will of men lost in darkness. Because Jesus  kept His Father’s will, Satan is no longer able to stand as the accuser. “And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.” Rev.12:9-10 Jesus spoke of this victory when He said; “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out. And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me.” John 12:31-32

The supreme crisis in all creation was at the moment of Jesus’ crucifixion. The outcome of God’s plan, the outcome of the Savior, the prospect for our souls, everything was determined in that moment. Christ and Him crucified was the focal point for God’s eternal purpose and its capacity to be fulfilled. 

The material evidence of the war’s outcome is found in these words; “And they overcame him (the accuser) by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.” Rev.12:11 This speaks of something unheard of in all the world’s history; souls made free in the innocence of redemption. “Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them.” Rev.12:12

The same victory which portends joy for the believers, also heralds woe for those who refuse God’s goodness. “Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time.” Rev.12:12 Satan has great wrath. He exercises it to deceive souls. In retrospect we can see what horrible twisting Satan worked upon the sons of Adam. History reveals the church of Christ faced many hardships during the rise and fall of the Roman Empire. There were even worse hardships during the subsequent years of ecclesiastical brutality. Yes, the saints suffered, and will suffer. But the woe is upon those who cause the suffering. The lives of the deceived are lives of woe indeed. Thank God there is still time to repent!

The prophecy speaks of those who dwell in the heavens and those who inhabit the earth. The place of our habitation is relative. It depends on where our treasures are. Are they hidden in a vault? Do we envy the prosperity of others? Do we yearn for fame, or some other excesses? Or are our treasures in heaven? Do we hunger and thirst after righteousness? Are we peacemakers? This is what distinguishes those who dwell in heaven from those on the earth. For the faithful this saying is true; “. . .God, who is rich in mercy. . . made us alive together . . . and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. . .” Eph. 2:4-6

Who knows what will happen as we near the end. Yet the assurance is very real. The essential battle has been won. The question remains. On whose side will we be found?

Job 33:22-30
Yea, his soul draweth near unto the grave, and his life to the destroyers. If there be a messenger with him, an interpreter, one among a thousand, to shew unto man his uprightness: Then he is gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his youth: He shall pray unto God, and he will be favourable unto him: and he shall see his face with joy: for he will render unto man his righteousness. He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light. Lo, all these things worketh God oftentimes with man, To bring back his soul from the pit, to be enlightened with the light of the living.

Elihu is trying to get Job to realize that he has sinned by elevating his own righteousness and condemning the justice of God. As he is pleading with Job he embarks on this passage concerning a messenger to instruct man in righteousness. Elihu says that messengers will not be common (“one among a thousand”). The messenger’s purpose will be to instruct in righteousness, and turn others from error. I believe that Elihu is referring to himself here, but his thoughts apply to other messengers in the Bible.

Jonah was a messenger to the city of Nineveh. He was “one among a thousand” in the city, and he called for the repentance of a wicked city. The people of Nineveh repented from their way, and the Lord had mercy upon them. Just as Elihu indicated would happen. “He looketh upon men, and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not; He will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light.”

John, the baptist would also fit Elihu’s description of a messenger. The prophet Malachi revealed that the Lord would send a messenger to instruct the people in righteousness before the coming of the Lord. Malachi 4:5-6 “Behold, I will send you Elijah the prophet before the great and awesome day of the LORD comes. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.”

Jesus is, of course, the master teacher. Jesus was a messenger of righteousness, and those that follow his teaching will have life everlasting. Those who follow the teachings of Christ are to be messengers. Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.” Jesus also indicated that his followers would be “few” Matthew 7:14 in number.

Elihu reveals several truth’s about being a messenger from God. Do you think he is speaking of himself here? Is it taking to much liberty to draw these conclusions? What do you think about Elihu’s words?

When Israel was a child, I loved him, And out of Egypt I called My son.  (2)  As they called them, So they went from them; They sacrificed to the Baals, And burned incense to carved images.  (3)  I taught Ephraim to walk, Taking them by their arms; But they did not know that I healed them.  (4)  I drew them with gentle cords, With bands of love, And I was to them as those who take the yoke from their neck. I stooped and fed them.

In this interpretation we see one characteristic – judgment or condemnation – identified as representative of God to the exclusion or minimization of others, thus leaving both interpreter and student with a false impression of God.

This occurs in a variety of contexts apart from the aforementioned example.  The counterpart summation is, “The God of the New Testament is one of love,” which fails to account for NT passages such as the Hebrews 12:29, “For our God is a consuming fire.”  Others emphasize God’s sovereignty in the realm of Christian election and salvation, that once chosen by God to be saved, a Christian cannot neglect or abandon that salvation to the loss of their soul, even if they stubbornly and consciously refuse to repent (“once saved, always saved”).  Such thinking is irreconcilable with passages such as 1 Peter 1:14-17 which demand repentance due to God’s impartiality.

as obedient children, not conforming yourselves to the former lusts, as in your ignorance;  15  but as He who called you is holy, you also be holy in all your conduct,  16  because it is written, “BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY.”  17  And if you call on the Father, who without partiality judges according to each one’s work, conduct yourselves throughout the time of your stay here in fear;

Or, in extolling God’s grace, some will underestimate how He values obedience, that God has clearly placed conditions on the reception of His grace which must be met, and that He considers obedience a complementary partner to our faith.  We come to know and understand God by embracing the totality of the Bible’s revelation:   His love must be understood in light of His judgment, His sovereignty reconciled with His impartiality, or His grace interpreted with His love of obedience in mind.

What, however, is the effect should any of these characteristics be deliberately excluded from or minimized in our understanding of God?  None of us can “change” God, nor can we alter how His word portrays His character and nature; but we can – through faulty interpretation – tamper with our mental conception of God quite easily.  By preferring some characteristics over others – perhaps through their appeal to us personally – we can create a false conception of God that is incongruent with God’s revelation of Himself.  This is dangerous territory indeed, for how we envisage God profoundly affects how we live our lives – from our moral standards, to the choices we make, to how we worship Him.  Since in many respects our faith descends from how we apprehend God, we must ask ourselves a sobering question:  are we serving God as He comprehensively reveals Himself in the word or are we serving an impression of Him created by a faulty understanding of that same word?  Obviously, the safe ground lies with the first, and so we endeavor to understand how God reveals Himself as thoroughly as is humanly possible.  But what is the ultimate implication if we find ourselves in the second camp?  Are we truly serving God?  And if not, whom or what are we serving?

When our minds form a disproportionate conception of God by embracing some of His characteristics while deliberately overlooking, excluding, or minimizing others, we are – in a sense – serving a false God.  We are not serving Him as He is revealed, but rather our impression or interpretation of Him.  Not with our hands have we fashioned this idol, but we have fabricated an image in our mind.  Thus, to worship God in spirit and truth, we must come to understand Him through His entire revelation.

In writing this exhortation to the Ephesian disciples, Paul acknowledged that the time was quickly coming when issues like greed, pride, envy, prejudice and dissention from the pure doctrines of Christ would seep into the Church and destroy many congregations.  These divisive and destructive vices would be the greatest enemies of the Church in the 1^st century.

Seeing the danger of this situation, Paul implored the brethren to be of one mind and of one purpose, united in the faith and in fellowship, even as there is but one body.  Given the presence of so many religious bodies in the world, such a declaration may seem strange, but this is undoubtedly the clear teaching of the Scriptures.  The singularity of the Lord’s body is an idea repeated several times throughout the New Testament.  Romans 12:5: “so we, being many, are one body in Christ…”  1 Corinthians 10:17: “For we, though many, are one bread and one body…” 1 Corinthians 12:12: “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.”   What is this body?  Paul says in Ephesians 1:22-23: “And [God] put all things under [Christ’s] feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, 23 which is His body…”  The body is the Church and according to Paul there is only one.

Is this the way it is in the religious world?  Not at all.   The world is full of churches, full of denominations and all varieties of religious factions, all claiming to be or be part of the one true Church.  Can every church be the church?  Not according the Bible.  Remember the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 1: “Now I say this, that each of you says, ‘I am of Paul,’ or ‘I am of Apollos,’ or ‘I am of Cephas,’ or ‘I am of Christ.’ 13 Is Christ divided?”  The answer, of course, is no.  The body of Christ does not have divisions.  Just are surely as there is one God, one Redeemer, and one Spirit, the Lord has only one people and one body.  There can only be one Church.   

Biblical Precedent

This principle, that the Lord has only one people and one true Church, is somewhat unsettling, but it’s certainly not an idea unique to the New Testament.  Beginning with the calling of Abraham and moving forward through the entire Bible there has always been just one people and one way of salvation.  When the Lord redeemed Israel from Egyptian slavery he opened one way across the Red Sea one time.  There was one tabernacle and one temple.  There was one Promised Land and one Holy City, Jerusalem.  He chose one people with one promise and gave them one Law.  There is now one plan of salvation and one savior who died on the cross one time.  Like the Apostle Paul said, there is “One mediator between God and man, the man Jesus Christ…” (1 Timothy 2:5).  In the words of the Apostle Peter, there is “no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved” (Acts 4:12).   Jesus himself is the one head and has but one body and one people to whom he provided one way of salvation and established one institution, the one true Church.

Every Body?

It’s a startling fact, but still a fact we all have to face – not every church is the Church.  In fact, if we believe the words of Jesus, we might even be so bold to say that most religious bodies are not the true body.  Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 7: 13-14, “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it. 14 Because narrow is the gate and difficult is the way which leads to life, and there are few who find it.”  Though we may find many religious bodies in the world, even many “Christian” bodies, not every body is the body.  Not every church is the Lord’s Church.

Why so many churches?

This present situation is unsettling given our religious landscape, yet it’s hardly a situation unique to our generation.  It’s a story that started only a few years after the church began.  In 2 Thessalonians 2 the Apostle Paul explained that there would be a “falling away” or literally, a “defection from truth”, turning away from the pure doctrines of Christ. 

What happened?  In what way was there a falling away from Christ?  There wasn’t some massive upheaval among the brethren.  There was no civil war in the Church.  The Church wasn’t overrun by Bible-burning atheist.  This defection from truth happened quickly yet subtly, and all in the name of Christ.  Remember what Paul said to the Galatian church, “I marvel that you are turning away so soon from Him who called you in the grace of Christ, to a different gospel, 7 which is not another; but there are some who trouble you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ.”  They believed in God, they believed in Christ, but still they were lost.  How so?  Later in the book Paul explained more precisely how this church had lost its place in God’s grace.  Galatians 5:4: “You have become estranged from Christ, you who attempt to be justified by law; you have fallen from grace.”  They believed in Jesus as their savior, yet they also believed that elements of the Mosaic Law were still useful and even binding in the Church.    

The change was simple and subtle, yet it was enough for these people in the early church to lose their salvation.  It wasn’t a different gospel that caused these people to fall; it was a perverted form of the gospel of Christ.  Many churches that were once part of the Church fell away.  They still called themselves “Christians”, they still went to “church”, yet in reality they were no longer Christians at all.  Like Jesus said in Matthew 7:21: “Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven…”  One true Church becomes many false churches when the truth is changed.

Which Body?

Christ came to Earth one time, he died one time, he established one Church, he died for one Church, and he will save one Church.  This is the message from Genesis through Revelation that God offers one way of salvation and has only one body.  If only one, which one?  Which Church is the right Church?

In the same place that the Paul teaches that there is but one body (Ephesians 4) he also describes some of the common characteristics that members of this body will share.  Among these “ones” he mentions that the one body has one faith.  What is this faith?  The Bible explains.

One Faith

The one faith is not one belief, but many beliefs that make up the whole doctrine of Christ’s Church.  So what are these beliefs?  How do we know what the church should look like and what it should do?  According to the Bible, the faith of the one true Church is discovered in the teachings of the Apostles found throughout the New Testament.  Before Jesus left the Earth he gave his Twelve Apostles a special responsibility that he gave to no one else.  Speaking to the Apostles, he says in Matthew 16: 19: “And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”   Later, just moment before he ascended into heaven, Jesus gave the Apostles this commission in Matthew 28:19-20: “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you…” When the Church had been established in Acts 2:42 it’s said that the early disciple “continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine…”  

The one true Church is not built on any faith or any doctrine; it’s described in the Bible as being faithful to the teaching of the Apostles that came from Christ himself.  In the beginning there was one body, when the Church had one common faith, and made a mutual effort to follow carefully after the Apostles doctrine.  One body became many bodies when that one faith was abandoned.  If a church doesn’t look like the Church in the Bible, if it’s not carefully following the design laid down by Christ and his Apostles, there’s a good chance that church isn’t the Church.

Once you’ve found Christ make certain to also find the one true Church.

The real confusion comes from a misinterpretation of what the rock is upon which Jesus was going to build His church. Was it Peter? Jesus does say, you are Peter (which means rock, Petros) and upon this rock. Or, as I believe we will see through this study, was Jesus telling them that the church would be founded upon the fact that He was the Son of God, just as Peter had confessed.

Before we look at the rock in depth, it is important to note what Jesus says at the end this statement. “I will build My church.” The church belongs to Jesus. Acts 20:28 indicates that the church was purchased with the blood of Christ. He paid for it, and it is His. Ephesians 1:22-23 tell us that God, “put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.” Here Paul compares the relationship between Christ and the church to a head and its body. The head directs the rest of the body. It owns the movements of the body. Each of us are owners of our own bodies, so too Christ owns the church, which he purchased, and directs its movements. Paul continues in Ephesians 5 describing the relationship that exists as that between a husband and a wife. Ephesians 5:23-27,

For the husband is the head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her, that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish.

As we consider what foundation the church was built upon, we must remember that Christ is the owner of this body. He determined where the church would be, and how it was to function. And when He receives her to Himself, she will be a glorious church, for no man made institutions or ideas can come between Christ and His body.

In Acts 2 Peter states unequivocally that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead by the power of God, just as David had prophesied would come through his line, and now this Jesus is both Lord and Christ (Acts 2:22-36). This cut the men of Israel to the heart (verse 37), because they realized now who it was they had crucified, and so they asked Peter what they should do. Peter answers them, “Repent and let everyone of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you, and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.” The Lord added them, and daily added others who were being saved, to the church (Acts 2:47). Was it Peter that added them to the church? Certainly not. Was it Peter that was the foundation upon which they could be saved? The passage certainly does not indicate that. What it does tell us is that these men heard that Jesus, whom they had crucified, was raised from the dead by the power of God, and that He was now both Lord and Christ. The foundation for their salvation was in the power of God to raise Him from the dead. Consider what Paul says in Romans 1:4, “and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of Holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.” Here was the proof that Jesus was the Son of God. He defeated death, and Hades could not keep His soul (Acts 2:31-32). Therefore, based upon the witness of the apostles and prophets, declaring Jesus to be the Son of God, the Prophet to come in the likeness of Moses (Deuteronomy 18:17-18), the Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

Christ’s body, the church, was founded upon the solid fact (the rock) that Jesus is the Son of God, and that he was declared to be such by the resurrection from the dead. Paul states how important this fact is in I Corinthians 15:17, “And if Christ is not risen, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins!” Without the resurrection from the dead, there is no declaration that Jesus is the Son of God, and without that fact, there is no basis for the church to be established and grow into a holy temple in the Lord (Ephesians 2:21).

Jesus was not answering who would be the leader of the church, or what person would help establish the church, when He said, “upon this rock I will build my church.” What he meant for us to understand was that the church is founded upon Him being the Son of God, crucified for our sins, paying the price for us with His blood, and then resurrected out of the grave by the power of God.

Therefore, because Jesus is the head of the body, and the foundation upon which the house stands, it must be that there is only one true church. A head can only have one body if it is to properly function. A foundation cannot have but one house to support. Ephesians 4:4 states, “there is one body and one Spirit; just as you were called in one hope of your calling.” The church is the Lord’s. It is His body and no one else’s.  Man may create what they believe to be the body of Christ, but if it does not comply with the will of God, how can it be! The question we must then ask ourselves is, are we “fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” (Ephesians 2:21) Or do we find ourselves strangers and foreigners, perhaps members of a body, but not finding Christ at the head.

May we all study the scriptures diligently to determine how our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ set up His church, and what we must be if we so desire to be a part of His kingdom.

From a study of 1 Corinthians 14:26-40, the following truths emerge:

1.    Corinth was experiencing confusion in the Lord’s Day assembly, hence Paul’s instructions, and his concluding admonition:  “Let all things be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40).

2.    Many members customarily played a public part in Corinth’s Lord’s Day assembly:  “How is it then, brethren?  Whenever you come together, each of you has a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation, has an interpretation” (1 Corinthians 14:26).

3.    Paul had no intention of depriving them of this mutual ministry–he intended only to order it:  “For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged” (1 Corinthians 14:31).

A PLURALITY OF PARTICIPANTS

Clearly, Paul was pleased with a plurality of participants in the Lord’s Day assembly.  Despite the fact that such an arrangement came with potential hazards–such as the disorder Corinth was experiencing–he wrote nothing to discourage the Corinthians from their mutual edification.  Instead, he laid down several guidelines for its effective exercise (i.e. “two, or at the most three,” 1 Corinthians 14:27, 29), lending authoritative, apostolic affirmation to its practice.  An assembly in which multiple persons had the opportunity to bring a song, offer a teaching, or exercise a miraculous gift was a good thing.

WHAT ARE WE TO MAKE OF IT?

Sounds strikingly dissimilar to the practice of many of today’s churches, doesn’t it? What are we to make of it?  Were Paul’s instructions to the brethren at Corinth unusual?  No.  Paul stated four times in his letter to the Corinthians that what he taught them, he taught everywhere else (1 Corinthians 4:17; 11:16; 14:33; 16:1).  Was Corinth an isolated case which stood out among the New Testament churches because of its participatory meetings?  The rest of the New Testament would not lead us to that conclusion.

TWO MORE NEW TESTAMENT CHURCHES

Antioch

“Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers…” (Acts 13:1).  As at Corinth, God had inspired more than one individual to be a prophets.  And, as at Corinth, there were multiple teachers (1 Corinthians 14:26).  Even when an apostle was present there, many members shared the work of the ministry, as evidenced by Acts 15:35:  “Paul and Barnabas also remained in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord, with many others also.” It was not Paul’s–nor the church’s–practice to put the “best man” in the pulpit, if even there was a pulpit.  There were many with the ability, so many participated.

Ephesus

The same practice existed at Ephesus.  Though Timothy the evangelist (2 Timothy 4:5) was there, he shared the work of teaching.  Paul began his first epistle to Timothy by stating, “remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine” (1 Timothy 1:3).  His job wasn’t to do all the teaching, but to make sure that others’ teaching was sound.  The same idea is emphasized in Paul’s second epistle to this young evangelist:  “And the things that you have heard from me among many witnesses, commit these to faithful men who will be able to teach others also” (2 Timothy 2:2).  Was Timothy the resident exhorter?  Did the brethren come every Sunday morning to hear him?  The Scripture doesn’t lead us to that conclusion.

ADDITIONAL TESTIMONY

Finally, there is the cumulative message of various other passages.  In Romans 15:14, Paul wrote that he was confident the brethren there were “filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.” To the Ephesians, he wrote that the body grows  “according to the effective working by which every part does its share” (Ephesians 4:16).  Paul said that members possess the gifts of teaching and exhorting (Romans 12:7-8), and according to Peter, those who possess gifts are to use them:  “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).  The assembly is one place to do just that (Hebrews 10:25).

THE TESTIMONY OF HISTORY

Historians unanimously declare the practice of a shared ministry in the assembly to be the original and apostolic practice of the Lord’s church.  To my knowledge, there is no dissent among them that the practice of limiting the public participation to a select group and/or one individual developed during the second century.

Philip Schaff writes:

• “In the apostolic church preaching and teaching were not confined to a particular class, but every convert could proclaim the gospel to unbelievers, and every Christian who had the gift could pray and teach and exhort in the congregation.”  (History of the Christian Church, vol. 1, p. 124)

J. W. Richard and F.V.N. Painter state:

• “With the exception of women, every Christian, by virtue of his priesthood, was allowed to teach the Church.  There were no functions specially reserved for ministerial or clerical hands.”  (Christian Worship: Its Principles and Forms., p.)

A.H. Newman, D.D., LL.D. comments:

• “The participation in worship was not confined to the official members, but to every male member it was permitted to utter his apprehension of truth” (Manual of Church History, p. 141).

A CALL TO CONSIDER

With all of the above in mind, can there be any doubt that the New Testament church permitted and encouraged multiple persons to teach and preach in its assemblies?

What about your church?